Page:The Message and Ministrations of Dewan Bahadur R. Venkata Ratnam, volume 2.djvu/397

 tongues and with an enthusiastic clapping of hands, Chaitanya and his followers roamed over the streets of Nuddea, inviting one and all to devote their lives to Bhakti. At first, the terror of the Saktas compelled Chaitanya to hold nocturnal meetings; from which we may well infer the difficulty of his position. But with the advent of fresher members and with the increase of earnest faith, the saint boldly pushed himself into public view and asserted his claim to be heard and accepted. For a full year, he continued to be the sole leader of the cause, when a very valuable addition was made in the person of Chaitanya's famous disciple, Nityananda. Of the same age and temperament as Chaitanya, Nityananda was but an alter ego of his leader in piety and earnestness. Sankeerthan was performed with all the greater enthusiasm. Thousands of persons were converted to the renewed faith. The star of Vaishnavism was cheeringly in the ascendant in Bengal. And at this time Chaitanya took a most daring step which entitles him to